In a lot of places, winter means indoor baseball practices and you need good indoor baseball drills to give the players a good workout. There are great speed drills for baseball players, strength drills and individual skill work that can be done indoors.

Baseball is definitely a sport that should be played and practiced outside. But the weather won’t always cooperate and you may still need to get your team a good workout. Or maybe it’s the offseason and you want to keep your team active and in baseball shape.

Indoor Baseball Drills

One of the few options you have in these instances is to find an indoor location that you can use to run your team through some drills. In this article, we will provide you a series of indoor drills that you may want to consider when you head indoors.

Ball Handling Drill

For this drill, you will need enough inside space to be able to have players far enough away from each other to make normal distance baseball throws.

This drill should be done with a total of six players. Players #2 through #5 will be stationed at the four corners of the space. Player #1 should be positioned about ¼ the length of the space inside the rectangle. Player #6 about ⅓ inside the space on the opposite end.

The drill will begin with player #1 throwing a ground ball to player #2 on a corner. Player #2 fields the ball using the correct technique, rotate their body and feet and makes a throw to player #3.

Player #3 makes the catch and rotates to throw to player #4. Player #4 rotates and throws a ground ball to player #5. Player #5 fields the ground ball, rotates and jogs towards player #6 and tosses the ball to them while moving forward.

All players then change position by advancing to the position they had just thrown the ball to. Once everyone has moved to their new position the players will begin moving the ball again. Players can also change the direction of the throws to work on their footwork going the other direction.

Indoor Soft Hands Drill

Improves quickness and the ability to field balls with soft hands.

Pair up two players and position yourself about 15 feet from a wall. Give them a total of five tennis balls. One player drops to one knee while the other player stands closely behind them.

The player behind will bounce balls off the wall at a rapid pace and the player on one knee must field them. You can keep score if you choose to add a little competition.

Move closer to the wall until you get as close as about 5 feet.

Straight Arm Drill

This drill allows the fielder to field the ball all the way in front of him and practice being quick and too the ball!

Bucket Game or Cone Drill

This is a fun yet competitive drill you can use for your team.

Divide players into two groups making sure they have somewhat equal talent levels.
Make two lines facing each other about 30 feet apart.
You can use buckets, cones or gloves to make boundaries at the end of each line. Also, use them to mark a distance about 10 feet behind the lines.
Space the players evenly apart.
One team will start by throwing a hard grounder towards the other team making sure it bounces at least one time.
The receiving team must make sure they field it before it reaches the back boundary. One player will call for the ball while the others must back him up.
When the grounder is caught it is thrown back underhand to the other team. If that throw is dropped, the player dropping the ball is out. The game will continue until only one player is left standing.
Coaches can decide what the eliminated players will need to do. Pushups, situps, aps, etc.

Throwing Drill

Here is a drill to improve the accuracy of throws and also provides a little competition.

Using tape (about 2 inches wide) make two 20 x 20 squares on a wall. Then add a 4 x 4 square in the middle of each.

Break up into two teams for a little competition. Move the players back to whatever distance you like. Players will then make throws towards the squares. Teams will get 1 point for a ball inside the 20 x 20 square and 3 points for balls inside the 4 x 4 square. Balls should be thrown hard enough so they return back to the next player in line.

Set a time limit and have someone keeping the score for each team. The coach will decide what the eliminated players will need to do. Pushups, situps, laps, etc.

There are many other indoor baseball drills but these are just a few that will add a little fun and competition to your indoor workout.

Coaching Tip

This is a great time to work on the fundamentals. Our article on Fielding Ground Balls will help your players learn the proper footwork and what is necessary to field routine ground balls.

Equipment Tip

MacGregor Unbelieva-BALL

I love these balls. They can turn a small gym into the ultimate place to play homerun derby. They are also great for drills with newer players where safety is a concern.

Baseball Practice Equipment

Having the right equipment for baseball practice drills allows your team to run drills efficiently and effectively. Read our recommendations on baseball practice equipment here:

Baseball Practice Equipment

Baseball Situations Quiz

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